The IDEAL Framework describes the stages through which surgical therapy innovation normally passes, describing the characteristics of each of five stages: Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment and Long-term follow-up.
The IDEAL (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term study) framework was developed to provide a structured, staged approach to evaluating surgical innovations.1 It acknowledges the unique nature of surgical interventions and offers a roadmap for rigorous, stepwise evaluation that parallels the phases of drug trials but is tailored to the needs of surgery
This section provides an overview of the IDEAL Framework, with a brief introduction to why it is needed from Professor Peter McCulloch:
Click on each of the stages below to find out more and to obtain further resources
